Revolutionary work demands more than slogans, theories, or the repetition of formulas. Real progress requires grounding ideas in lived conditions and shaping strategies around the concrete realities faced by the people. There are several essential lessons for ensuring that political action stays rooted in reality rather than drifting into empty words or abstract dogma.
Theory Must Be Integrated with Practice
Ideas alone do not transform the world. Theories and principles, no matter how well crafted, remain lifeless if they are not connected to actual struggles. Revolutionary theory should function as a guide to action, a method for understanding and changing reality. When theory is treated as a closed system of truths to be memorized and repeated, it loses its power. The proper relationship is dialectical: practice tests and enriches theory, while theory helps illuminate and guide practice. This ongoing cycle keeps both alive and relevant.
No Investigation, No Right to Speak
Leadership cannot be exercised from afar, nor can conclusions be drawn from secondhand reports or abstract models. The foundation of all correct decisions is investigation. To understand the people’s conditions, one must go directly to them — listening to workers, the marginalized, and the soldiers, observing their struggles, and learning from their daily experiences. Without such investigation, speech is hollow and directives ring false. Genuine authority comes not from position or learning alone, but from having immersed oneself in the reality that is being addressed.
The Danger of Dogmatism and Subjectivism
Two pitfalls threaten revolutionary work: dogmatism and subjectivism. Dogmatism arises when leaders blindly apply formulas or foreign models without considering whether they fit local conditions. Subjectivism, on the other hand, is the mistake of substituting personal preference, bias, or speculation for objective analysis. Both lead to errors because both sever the connection with reality. Overcoming these tendencies requires a rigorous commitment to evidence, investigation, and material analysis. Leaders must discipline themselves to resist both the comfort of borrowed authority and the impulse of individual fancy.
Dialectical Materialism in Action
Reality is not static but constantly changing, shaped by contradictions that develop over time. A scientific revolutionary outlook recognizes this motion and adapts accordingly. Methods and strategies cannot be frozen; they must be flexible enough to grasp new circumstances. This requires a living application of materialist dialectics, not a rigid reliance on fixed formulas. To approach the world dynamically, studying its contradictions as they unfold, is to remain in step with the real processes of history and struggle.
The Masses as the Source of Truth
Revolutionary knowledge does not emerge in isolation, nor is it handed down from above. It is generated through the lives and struggles of the people. Workers experience contradictions firsthand, and their knowledge provides the raw material from which correct strategy can be drawn. Effective leadership means listening to them, synthesizing their experiences, and returning those lessons in the form of guidance that advances their struggle. This cycle — from the masses, to analysis, back to the masses — is the only way to ensure that revolutionary politics remain rooted in truth rather than drifting into abstraction.
Conclusion
The central lesson is that revolutionary work must never be allowed to drift away from reality. Theory must serve practice; investigation must precede speech; both dogmatism and subjectivism must be rejected; dialectics must be applied dynamically; and the masses must always be treated as the wellspring of truth. When these principles are upheld, revolutionary practice remains grounded, scientific, and capable of genuine transformation. When they are forgotten, movements risk becoming hollow exercises in rhetoric.
